Thomas Bittermann

Thomas Bittermann comes from Neustadt/Weinstraße and, as a child, he played piano for many years before starting the guitar.

After finishing school he studied music, with the main subject, guitar, in addition to piano, cembalo and viola da gamba at schools of music in Würzburg (Prof. Dieter Kirsch), Hanover (Prof. Hans-Michael Koch) and Frankfurt am Main (Prof. Michael Teuchert).

He completed a music teaching "diplom" (Würzburg/Hanover), an artistic qualification (Hanover) and a "diplom" with distinction (Frankfurt/Main) before continuing with private further training on many courses, with teachers including Siegfried Behrend, Heinz Teuchert and the Assad Duo.

Over many years he performed at extensive concerts with an emphasis on chamber music, with many guitarists, including Michael Dragic and Jutta Wenzlaff, which whom he played concerts over a decade and recorded three CDs. He played new music with Helmut Oesterreich in the group, 'Nunc', which also released three CDs, one of which won a prize in France.

He worked with the clarinetist, Armin Ziegler (HR Radio Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt am Main), for five years, adding new areas to his repertoire. He played for several years in the German Plucked String Orchestra. He travelled to many countries in Europe, as well as Japan, Africa and South America.

In 1995, he discovered South America, where he met his wife in Argentina. Since then, he has travelled regularly to this country for concerts and guest appearances.

There have since been more than a dozen concerts and guest appearances by Argentinian guitarists at Dr. Hoch's Conservatory, featuring guitarists including Prof. Victor Villadangos (Buenos Aires School of Music) or Prof. Pablo Márquez (Basel School of Music).

He had an interest in teaching right from the start, which is closely linked to his own playing, and also encourages students to play. While still studying he taught at institutions including Würzburg, Herzogenaurach, Hanover School of Music and the University of Kassel, before coming to Dr. Hoch's Conservatory in 1984.

His aim is not just to teach the technical requirements, but also to assist the development of musical sensibility in his pupils. Pupils are not intended to adopt the ideas of the teacher, but rather to find and nurture their own personal expression and enjoyment of music by learning principles and continuing with constant further training. Many of his pupils play enthusiastically in Hobby Guitar (ANE department), while performing or teaching themselves at music schools (Study Department). Others prepare successfully for competitions (Jugend Musiziert) or a course of study (Pre College Department), while others are undergoing further training following a course of study, to cover areas that were not covered, or which are entirely new to them. He teaches all ages, in English or Spanish.